Seattle Animal Shelter news and events

Seattle Animal Shelter urges pet owners to license dogs and cats

With Seattle Animal Shelter humane law enforcement officers stepping up patrols in city parks and off-leash areas, the shelter is reminding you to make sure your pet is licensed. Officers making regular park patrols will be ensuring pets have current licenses and will be enforcing leash and scoop laws.

“These are easy ways to protect pets, our environment and public safety,” notes Don Jordan, Seattle Animal Shelter’s director. “Picking up after pets and keeping them leashed, as required, helps prevent conflict and ensures all community members – both two- and four-legged – can enjoy our public parks. Pet licenses are also required. They help us return lost animals to their families, and license fees directly support the lifesaving work of our shelter.”

Jordan said pet licenses help the Seattle Animal Shelter save more lives.

A license is a simple, yet important metal ID tag featuring the pet’s license number and the Seattle Pet Licensing phone number. For added protection, pet owners are encouraged to add their microchip number to their pet’s license record. Owner contact information can be updated in the shelter’s pet license database as often as needed, free of charge, and can even include vacation alerts when owners are away and alternate pet-sitter contacts. License information often makes it possible for lost pets to avoid a trip to the shelter, resulting in less stress on the animal, owner and shelter resources.

License fees directly support Seattle Animal Shelter programs, which include humane law enforcement investigations of cruelty and neglect, a low-cost spay and neuter clinic, and progressive foster care and adoption programs that work together to help thousands of animals each year.

A one- or two-year license costs $20 to $37 for spayed and neutered pets and $30 to $69 for unaltered pets, and discounts are available for seniors and adults with disabilities with a Seattle Gold or FLASH card. Purchasing a Seattle pet license is easy to do. A pet owner simply submits his or her license payment and a few pieces of information – mainly contact information and a brief description of the pet. Owners can:

Humane law enforcement officers will issue citations to pet owners for each pet without a current license. The penalty for having an unlicensed animal is $125, and other fines are listed on the shelter’s website at http://www.seattle.gov/animal-shelter/animal-control/fees-and-fines. Officers will follow up this winter with pet owners who have expired licenses, and will continue to conduct patrols in Seattle parks and off-leash areas to ensure compliance with pet-related laws.